When we meet Lights, it is last day of her whirlwind visit to the UK, wrapping up the cycle of her 2014 album ‘Little Machines’. “It’s been very fast, but very fun,” she says, expressing her gratitude towards her fans on this side of the pond. “I think the fans here are really special. They don’t find their music on the radio so much, and make more of a personal investment of their time to love what we do. Everyone is really passionate and really cares.”

She has just come straight off the back of the “Parahoy” cruise, which she explains is unlike anything else she has experienced before. “We played at (Bristol venue) The Thekla, which is a docked boat, and that was weird enough, but we’ve never played a moving ship on the open sea before,” says Lights. “We were playing something completely foreign to us, but I think that’s what I liked about it. It was an epic, one of a kind experience, and the crowd were very excepting of us.”

As the door on ‘Little Machines’ closes, a new one is on the verge of opening. Carrying on a tradition that started after her debut album ‘The Listening’ in 2009, Lights is about to release her new acoustic reimagining of the album, ‘Midnight Machines’. It is something she is very proud of, and excited for the world to hear. “Doing acoustic interpretations of my albums really became something because of the fans,” she explains. “After I released my first record I would do acoustic in-store performances, and then turned that into a video blog. People seemed to gravitate towards them, and relate to the songs in a different way. I recorded the first acoustic EP at home, and you can even hear the crickets in my tarantula’s aquarium in the background. It had a very home-grown feel to it, which a lot of people liked, so I did a similar thing with (2011 album) ‘Siberia’.”

While it was almost a given that Lights would do new interpretations of tracks from ‘Little Machines’, she adopted a different approach this time. “People were asking about it from the day that ‘Little Machines’ was released,” laughs Lights. “This time, I wanted do things a bit differently, I mean, you don’t want to be too predictable.” Different is certainly the best way to describe ‘Midnight Machines’. Rather than just putting playing them acoustically, this is still a full band album, but the songs are stripped back in a different way, incorporating new elements. “We have been playing these songs as a band for so long that it felt like second nature when we got together,” she says, explaining how ‘Midnight Machines’ took shape. “We used strings, a Wurlitzer, and took our instruments down to their most minimal form. We just re-imagined the songs in a completely new way. I would say this is the version of the album you want to hear at 4am, maybe you’re a little drunk, laying in bed, and just feeling amazing.”

The idea of doing things differently is something that has helped Lights expand her fan base beyond its core. Predominantly, her sound is perfectly crafted electro-pop, including work with metal bands such as Bring Me The Horizon and Architects to name but a few, she has shown the diversity of her talent during her career. “I always try to do collaborations with completely different artists,” she says. “It gives their fans a chance to see what you can do, and vice versa. I like seeing where the crossover comes in.”

This leads on to a conversation about the way in which people listen to a wider range of music now, without fear of judgement. Alongside Lights, electronically driven bands such as Chvrches, Purity Ring, and Tegan and Sara have crossed over, and been embraced by a more alternative audience. “I think it has a lot to do with the depth of music, and the lyrical content of the writing,” she says, when quizzed as to why she thinks they have found success in this market. “Middle of the road pop music is very simplistic. As an artist, I’ve come to appreciate that more over the years, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, when you go a little left of the centre, add a bit more poetry to it, it becomes more imaginative and relatable. People seem to have a much broader taste in music now, and someone who listens to black metal might still openly enjoy my music, as that criticism isn’t there as much now. I think that’s the beauty of being able to strip back my music in a different way, so I can identify with more than just one genre.”

The true testament to Lights appeal is her longevity. She still seems shocked by the fact it was 10 years ago that she released her first track, ‘February Air’. Helped by the internet, and the power of once-supreme social network Myspace, she has been able to carve out an incredibly successful career. From winning awards for her music, to touring the world, and even having a couple get engaged on stage at one of her shows on this tour, this life has exceeded her expectations. “I’ve always had huge dreams, but seeing them come to fruition is amazing,” she humbly explains. “When I started, I had a bucket list of things I wanted to try and achieve, including coming to the UK. Now we have been back here so many times, it feels like a second home. No matter how much you dream of these things, they always turn out different than you expected. It’s quite powerful, especially when they are better than you ever imagined.”

Through all of this, Lights has also embraced motherhood, following the birth of her daughter, Rocket. With both her and her husband (Blessthefall vocalist, Beau Bokan) being full-time touring musicians, two-year old Rocket is constantly surrounded by music; something that Lights admits she feels is a good thing. “She’s around music all the time, and she loves it,” she says, her smile widening as she speaks. “I don’t know if she realises exactly what Beau and I do, or if she thinks that everyone just plays music. One day I think she will start to understand it better. Whether or not music will become a career for Rocket I don’t know, but playing music is something I would like to encourage.” This is something Lights feels quite strong about. She is an ambassador for the Canadian organisation MusiCounts, who help provide instruments to kids who may not be able to afford them. “Its something that has become very important to me, “ she explains. “As you grow up, you go through so much emotional drama. When you don’t have a means to channel that, you act out in different ways. I was able to do that when I was younger, so it’s a great to be able to help others in that way.”

Being a mother in an industry that sometimes discourages women from having children, or even serious relationships, so as not to hinder their career has become a regular topic of conversation for Lights. She openly expresses her views on this subject, hoping that things will change as the year’s progress. “Even in the workplace outside of music, its not structured for women to have kids,” she begins. “Women sometimes are told to choose between motherhood or success, yet to me, you should be able to do both. The industry needs to offer further support to women who want to become mothers, such as parental support, maternity leave, and venues licensed for when we take our kids on the road with us. We aren’t quite there yet, but I hope with women like myself paving the way, we can start to change things.”

Lights will confess there are some ways that the music industry is great for a mother, in as much as she was able to write and record while pregnant. “I know “mother” can be a dirty word in our industry, but I have been quite lucky,” she says, explaining she hasn’t personally had to deal with much adversity. “I’m working every day to show people that you can have both. You don’t just instantly sprout pleats and grow a mum band just because you become a mother. I want people to understand that, and show them that you can still be a fucking badass.”

With a career filled with more highs than lows, and Lights being in a happy, positive place, we briefly touch on her current inspiration. She beams as she explains that music doesn’t always have to focus on the negative aspects of life, and you can be happy and make relatable music. “Everything is still coming from personal experience, because I couldn’t just make stuff up or it wouldn’t be real,” she says. “A good example is the track ‘Follow You Down’, which is one of the new songs that people will hear on ‘Midnight Machines’. It was written for a movie that focused on a die-hard friendship, and the idea of going down for a friend. I dug deep into that, and wrote this beautiful song. Unfortunately, the movie didn’t end up coming out, but I wanted people to hear it because it was a really empowering experience. It goes to show that my music shouldn’t be dictated by my low points, which is sometimes a vicious cycle of being an artist.”

Never one to stop her flow of creativity, Lights is already looking at her future beyond ‘Midnight Machines’. She tells us that it will be a little while yet, but explains how she currently feels inspired for new music more than ever. “While motherhood hasn’t necessarily influenced what I write about, it has definitely helped me be more direct and less afraid,” she says. “In a creative field, there are no wrong decisions and no limits. The only limitations people have in this world is the fear of rejection, basing their entire career on the approval of others. I’ve shed that insecurity now. I heard a quote from Paul McCartney once, where he said “It’s just music, have fun”, which is such a freeing thought. I’m having more fun with my writing than I ever have.“

‘Midnight Machines’ is released on April 8th, and is available to pre-order from Lights official website now.